


6 years

by aeroplaneseok



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: A/B/O, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends to Lovers, House Party, Knotting, Love Confessions, M/M, Scenting, the contrast of these tags lmaoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:48:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeroplaneseok/pseuds/aeroplaneseok
Summary: Donghyuck looks him up and down, “That’s mine,” he blurts out, gawping at the cream coloured Supreme t-shirt that is most definitely Donghyuck’s. It’s wrinkled and french tucked into Renjun’s pants, and Donghyuck knows he left that shirt on the floor - worn.Even when it’s his own scent, Donghyuck can smell the alpha pheromones dripping off him, and Renjun simply cocks his head to one side and smiles.“Is it?”
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 12
Kudos: 298
Collections: '00 After Dark





	6 years

**Author's Note:**

> hihi!! this one has been in the works for a Whileeee, i really hope the original prompter sees this and enjoys it because i tried so hard to capture everything they described and more in this fic <3 it is my Child now, i'm so in love with renhyuck's bond and dynamic 
> 
> thank you soso much to [Ash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterjungwoo/pseuds/glitterjungwoo) and Tora for betaing and listening to me rave about this fic for the multiple months it took me to write 🥺 you're really the best ily <33 
> 
> pls heed the tw for alcohol during the party scene if that's something you're not comfortable with, and as always any and all feedback is very welcome! 
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/JENOXCX)

University - the big U-word that Donghyuck’s whole life has been building up to - his parents picking up college brochures wherever they went to show him “Look Hyuckie! This one has a study abroad programme, isn’t that great?”. Every day of school seemed to be building up to the moment his life’s dream would come to him in an epiphany and he would figure out who he is and who he wants to be. 

Half way into his senior year of high school, that moment had yet to happen, branding him as his parents’ sole child with no aspirations, and as much as they reassured him, he knew it was a chip on their shoulder. 

“I made something for you,” Renjun said one afternoon, getting up from behind the rickety piano keyboard set up in his dad’s garage. 

He took Donghyuck to a tree at the bottom of his backyard, where a sheet of paper was pinned to the bark, and Renjun thrusted a single dart into his hand. His best friend was one of those people who knew from birth what they wanted to be when they grew up, with dreams of being a nuclear scientist just like his father. Renjun had his dream university picked out from the start of middle school, where he was the new kid in Donghyuck’s class who spoke in broken Korean and lisped around his braces. 

“What’s this?” Donghyuck asked, peering at the paper fluttering in the breeze that depicted a circle divided into dozens of segments. 

“I wrote down all the majors at Seoul Technical College, wanna pick one?” 

Donghyuck laughed in disbelief, “Seriously? This is how I’m going to decide the rest of my life?” 

Renjun shrugged, “You wanna come with me, don’t you?” 

So Donghyuck glanced down at the dart between his fingers, the plastic feathers had a small drawing of an airplane on them, and Donghyuck smiled at the little picture before letting Renjun cover his eyes.

He took a deep breath, holding up the dart, and he crossed his fingers as he released it, hearing a crack as it pierced into the tree bark. 

Donghyuck peeked his eyes open, staring at the one word that would be his new manufactured dream - Geology. 

“Rocks?” Renjun laughed, pulling the dart out of the tree and handing it to Donghyuck so he could choose again, but Donghyuck figured this was as good as anything. 

“Help me write my application letter?” He asked, pouting at Renjun and begging with his best puppy eyes. 

* * *

“I’m so excited I think I’m going to shit myself.” Renjun was practically vibrating in the seat next to him, and Donghyuck looked apologetically at the passenger in the aisle seat. 

“Okay~, then I’ll see you later,” Donghyuck sing-songed, moving to get up. 

“Noooo!” Renjun whined, using his arms to block him from moving past - as _if_ Donghyuck was really going to leave, and they both fell into excited giggles as their plane sat on the tarmac, running through the safety checks. 

“Renjun-ah,” he whispered after a beat of silence, “I’m scared, what if I hate my degree?” 

“Hey, we already talked about this.” Renjun took his hand gently, giving it a squeeze, “We’ll figure it out. I asked you a million times if you’re sure you want to go, don’t flake out on me now.” 

“I know, I know.”

Donghyuck looked over at his best friend and nodded - this wasn’t his dream at all, it was Renjun’s, but he was right, as long as they were together, they’d figure it out. 

“I love you,” Donghyuck smiled, and Renjun gave him a warm, reassuring look. 

“Love you too, now put your fucking seatbelt on,” he snapped, elbowing him in the ribs. 

As Donghyuck waved goodbye to Jeju Island, the only home he’d ever known, he watched the land drop away from them, the plane climbing higher and higher until the clouds turned the view out of the window pure white. He looked over at his best friend, the one with aspirations, goals, plans, the one who had been by his side from the day they met and Donghyuck shared his juicebox with him. Beneath everything, the homesickness, the unknowns, the slight fear of flying, Donghyuck was excited for university. After taking a summer crash-course in geology, he felt well prepared, and as his ears popped with the pressure change, he didn’t feel so scared, because he was taking a piece of home with him. 

* * *

Donghyuck was 17 when he started presenting as an alpha, first his canines grew a little longer, then his sense of smell heightened, then came his “alpha stink” as Renjun often said to refer to his pheromones. Renjun came a little later, but once he started presenting when he was nearly 19, he rapidly caught up. His smell was the first thing Donghyuck noticed, a faint whiff of lime and mango catching in Donghyuck’s throat every time he entered the room, and for a while he had no idea where it was coming from. It only hit him after they became adults, when he hung out at Renjun’s parents’ house one day, the citrus smell almost knocking him backwards as he pushed his bedroom door open and found his best friend in his first ever nest made of blankets and balled-up clothes. Friendship between an alpha and an omega was no taboo, and if not for Renjun’s scent, most people would think they were a pair of alphas, play-fighting and bickering and pissing each other off at every opportunity. 

Renjun, unlike Donghyuck, believes in fate, and only when he’s sleep deprived or drunk, he insists that the reason why they’ll be best friends forever is because they’re on opposite ends of the biological spectrum, balancing each other out.

He talked about Seoul like it was the promised land, researching everything about the city and the district they would be living in for the next three years. Donghyuck often woke up to texts from him sent late at night asking if he liked the menu at a restaurant near their dorm, or a pros and cons list of different shopping areas, or just “i’m so excited hyuck i can’t sleep, i can’t wait to be living with my best friend studying my dream career :’)”. 

As strange as it was, Donghyuck couldn’t picture himself doing anything else after high school - he and Renjun had been joined at the hip for six years. He was the one Donghyuck could always turn to, who had his back every single day, and he trusted Renjun more than anyone else in the world. Ever since they met, Renjun had been there for every turning point as they grew up together - their first cigarette at age 15 that Donghyuck stole from his cousin and they shared in Renjun’s dad’s garage, then promptly threw up from. Their first day of high school, when Donghyuck missed the bus and Renjun’s mom had to drop them off, causing everyone to think they were brothers for two years. Their first taste of alcohol that Donghyuck bought for them on January 1st, each picking a cocktail at random and drunk slow-dancing to EDM in the club. 

The other first that they don’t talk about is that they were each other’s first boyfriend. Sixteen years old and both newly out to themselves, it felt like the natural thing to do, but things were just strange, so they decided they were better off as friends. Since that bump in the road, their friendship only grew stronger, their bond even more unbreakable as they navigated high school together. They don’t talk about it, and Donghyuck doesn’t think about it - except those nights when he wakes up before the sun has risen, brushes his fingertips over his lips, and he’s been single for so long now he can only just remember the feeling of Renjun’s kisses. His best friend knows every single thing about him, except those thoughts of the only proper relationship he’d ever had. 

* * *

The first few weeks of their new life flew by just like the ocean had flown beneath their feet, where Donghyuck read Renjun’s book aloud over his shoulder in a baby voice, playing a dangerous game of pissing Renjun off while they were thousands of feet in the air. It felt like they barely had time to breathe between that first night bustling into their apartment with four suitcases between them and passing out on the couch, to meeting every day at a cafe halfway between their respective departments. 

Renjun gushed endlessly about his course and his professor and his classmates and the complicated homework assignments he completed as soon as they were given out- 

“Like a fucking nerd,” Donghyuck teased, digging his chin into a knot in Renjun’s shoulder as he peered at the formulae he was copying out from his 300 page textbook. 

Donghyuck had to be honest, he was enjoying his major more than he thought he would - the professor, a silver-haired short woman with deep smile lines from a lifetime of laughing, had a big personality and made lectures fun. Looking forward to his classes was a new experience, and Donghyuck found a spring in his step every time he walked around the campus, exploring more and more of the red brick buildings every day. Of course, it wasn’t long before Renjun sniffed out gossip about people Donghyuck would probably never meet, and they chatted easily in their new-found favourite cafe for hours, looking forward to when their lectures were done for the day and they could pass out at only 9PM. 

On the third Friday of term, a fresher’s mixer was held in the late afternoon, the on-campus park set up with a gazebo and tables filled with food and drinks to keep them going all evening. They turned up together after classes were done for the day, Renjun pointing out the people he already had way too much dirt on, the two of them linking arms as they circulated between the fruit punch and the enormous bowl of spicy chips. An hour in, Donghyuck spotted a few people he sat next to in seminars, and so introduced Renjun to them, making small talk and joking around together. 

“We’re going to a party,” Renjun grinned the next day, stirring his iced green tea with his straw as they perched on bar stools in the student cafe. 

“Are we?” Donghyuck stopped kicking his dangling feet to look up at his best friend, and the smirk on Renjun’s face told him he wasn’t joking. 

“Yup, I got talking to one of your rock collecting friends-” Donghyuck rolled his eyes at that. “-and he told me about a house party happening next week, said we could come.” 

Donghyuck opened his mouth to ask his first question, “It’s freshmen only,” Renjun added, he knew Donghyuck’s mind too goddamn well. 

“I’m down,” he grinned, already painting a beautiful picture in his head of partying until the morning, imagining everything the movies told him college parties would be. 

* * *

The following Saturday night, Renjun passes a jagerbomb to Donghyuck as he’s carefully plucking his eyebrows. 

“Thanks,” he grunts, taking a swig and wincing as he swallows the mix down. 

“Cheers,” Renjun says, knocking his beer bottle against Donghyuck’s head and sitting down next to him. 

“Fucking stop it!” Donghyuck whines when Renjun picks up the mirror he’s in the middle of using to fix his hair. 

“One second!” Renjun pleads as Donghyuck wrestles the mirror out of his hands, then shoos Renjun off the seat by their bathroom counter to continue grooming himself in peace. 

“You’re definitely going to pull someone dressed like that,” Renjun laughs, nodding towards the bunny slippers he’s still wearing. 

“Ah, Renjun, if only you understood this is all part of the intrigue,” he jokes, taking another sip of the atrocious mix of Red Bull and whiskey in his clear plastic cup. 

_“You_ know about intrigue?” Renjun scoffs, and Donghyuck turns his body around fully to face the boy standing in the doorway, picking at the chipped paint because he knows Donghyuck hates when he does that. 

“Says the guy dressed for a party in his pyjamas.” He cocks an eyebrow at Renjun, who makes an ugly-crying expression and clutches his chest. 

“You’ll see who really knows about intrigue,” Renjun grins, and before Donghyuck can ask him what he means, Renjun turns the light off and promptly shuts the door, making Donghyuck nearly poke himself in the eye with his tweezers as the room is plunged into darkness. 

* * *

Donghyuck hates being wrong, and he especially hates admitting he’s wrong, but on this occasion he has to bite the bullet and admit that Renjun has really shown him up. 

As Renjun sloshes vodka from his hip flask into a cup, Donghyuck has to admit that he underestimated him. They never went to many parties in high school, and even then it was a casual get together with their friends and with no reason to wear anything more dressy than jeans and sneakers. A _college_ party, however, gave a whole different meaning to the idea of a house party - large bottles of spirits and mixers strewn across the kitchen counter, people already passed out on the couches; they had only been there ten minutes when Donghyuck saw a girl snorting something in the bathroom. 

Donghyuck has noticed a different style sneaking into Renjun’s closet for a few months now, a few rings on his fingers, his impulsive bleach job, a silver chain around his neck from time to time. Tonight, however, he really pulled out all the stops, pairing a white form-fitting tank top with a leather jacket and ripped black jeans - a far cry from his everyday uniform of huge sweaters and bucket hats. He’s put some gel in his hair so it sweeps off his forehead, and the jewellery is tasteful but just edgy enough that it gives a whole new energy to him that Donghyuck has never seen before. 

Dressed in a peachy silk button up and white jeans, Donghyuck can’t help but feel a little underdressed, even after stealing the chains from Renjun’s belt loops during their walk to the host’s place. As much as Donghyuck tries to enjoy the party, fucking around in the backyard with Renjun’s classmates and swapping Instagram handles, he just can’t shake the feeling of being on-edge. 

He feels it when Renjun asks him to stand outside the door when he uses the bathroom, when he helps a tipsy Renjun pour Fanta into his cup, when flirty-drunk Renjun starts making innuendos with their newfound friend group. The more he feels like he wants to go home, the more he drinks, and the more he drinks, the more he wants to go home. This is so stupid, because Donghyuck loves to drink and be sociable, he gets such a rush from being in a big crowd of people all having fun and dancing, but something just isn’t right. The discomfort grows and grows, until he can’t hide his gloomy expression anymore and Renjun leans into his ear to ask if he’s okay. 

That’s when it hits him, full-force like a freight train, as Renjun’s unique scent curls up his nose, and Donghyuck can’t even register what he’s saying over the sound of the blood pumping in his ears as he locks eyes with an alpha staring at Renjun like he’s going to eat him.

Even with the heat suppressants, they’ve spent so much time together that Donghyuck is attuned to sensing when Renjun’s pheromones spike, so he knows to be extra nice to him and bring him his biggest heat cravings. It’s an almost useless skill to have, because he can only smell when one particular omega is in season, the subtle change from mango to a sharp citrus enough to put Donghyuck on high alert for anything that might upset Renjun when he’s feeling particularly sensitive. 

It’s what they’re used to now - Donghyuck telling Renjun when his heat is due before he even knows it himself, and as a result Renjun doesn’t bat an eye anymore when Donghyuck attaches his nose to Renjun’s neck the entire week before his heat.

They’re fully-grown adults and both take suppressants, but there’s still that primal need inside Donghyuck that only an omega’s scent can appease when he’s feeling stressed. 

He’s almost conditioned himself at this point, Renjun calms him down so well that Donghyuck could sniff him out in any crowd, seeking out that sweet smell that curls inside his lungs and soothes him, and it’s such a magical feeling that whenever Donghyuck thinks about Renjun making someone else feel like that, he gets a weird swirling sensation deep in his stomach. 

That swirling sensation is dialled up to eleven as he stares down the alpha leaning against a wall, and with Renjun still stood close to him, his pheromones settling in Donghyuck’s throat, he doesn’t even realise what he’s doing when his top lip turns up in a snarl. The other alpha’s scent flares stronger, making Renjun whip his head around, and the alpha smiles at him, bearing rows of pearly white teeth. 

“Come on,” Donghyuck growls, tugging Renjun back into the circle of their friends, throwing glares across his shoulder at the alpha until he leaves the room. 

Renjun doesn’t say anything, he just gives Donghyuck a pointed look, and he knows he’s never acted like this before, but Donghyuck reassures himself that it’s only natural that he doesn’t like the smell of other alphas being around in a setting where finding a mate is often the goal. That must be what was bothering him the whole night, being surrounded by alphas and betas looking for a fuck. 

He feels better for realising it, and is able to enjoy himself for a few uninterrupted hours, only growling once at a beta that pushed in front to finish all the tequila while Donghyuck had been waiting patiently for the bottle. 

“Move,” he snaps, and the beta almost drops the bottle when she places it down on the counter. Donghyuck doesn’t miss how she looks Renjun up and down, and he makes direct eye contact as he guides Renjun to the water jug with a hand on his lower back, making her shake her head and move along. 

There are a lot of people around the drinks table shouting drunkenly, and Donghyuck presses close to Renjun as he gets some water, caging him against the counter in case one of the rowdy guys stumbles in their direction. 

“What’s up with you?” Renjun asks, pouring his water slowly so as not to spill it. 

“Nothing,” Donghyuck replies, leaning close to Renjun’s ear so he can hear him over the music. 

“Uh-huh,” Renjun hums, clearly still suspicious of his behaviour. Donghyuck scans around the room, staring down an alpha who approaches the table, then quickly backs away. He’s so distracted boring a hole into the back of the guy’s head with his eyes that he can’t stop a little surprised noise from slipping past his lips when Renjun stumbles backwards, their bodies so close that their hips bump together. 

“You alright?” he asks, steadying Renjun with a hand on his shoulder, and he winces when their hips bump together once more before he finds his balance again. 

“Oops,” Renjun laughs, peeling himself away from Donghyuck’s grasp and pulling him back to their friends. 

Either Donghyuck is drunk, or there’s a small smirk on Renjun’s face - or both. 

The minutes blend together, and Donghyuck can’t find it in himself anymore to stop getting sloppier, stumbling a little and laughing noisily, doing stupid dares and looking over at Renjun to see if he’s made him laugh. He doesn’t know what time it is or how many vodka Sprites he’s had when Renjun pulls him into the middle of the lounge where people are dancing, and his cheeks hurt from smiling as he dad-dances just to see Renjun tip his head back and laugh. 

“Come on, dance properly!” Renjun laughs, shouting over the music. 

“I am!” Donghyuck giggles back, shimmying his shoulders obnoxiously. 

“Nooo,” Renjun whines, “Come on, Hyuck, I want to dance!” He pouts a little, and Donghyuck staggers forward to place a hand on his neck, his palm sliding down to grip onto his shoulder. 

“Oh, like this?” He steps closer, swaying his hips to the beat, and Renjun mirrors him, at first overdoing it for laughs, but then he doesn’t stop, and Donghyuck stops laughing. 

He can feel eyes on them in the crush of bodies, an omega so clearly accompanied by an alpha, rolling his hips and gripping Donghyuck’s shoulders. 

“Stop that, you stink,” Renjun says, leaning in so his breath tickles Donghyuck’s ear, and he’s suddenly hyper aware of how much his pheromones are pouring out of his scent glands, trying to overpower every other alpha in the room. 

“I can’t help it!” Donghyuck protests, leaning into Renjun’s ear, and Renjun keeps him close, resting his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder. 

“Then at least keep it in your pants,” he purrs, and Donghyuck is glad for the loud music as a shocked hiccup is pulled out of him. 

“I’m so drunk,” he whines, wrapping his arms around Renjun’s waist, and _god_ he’s so fucking tiny. 

“Me too,” Renjun laughs, his ribcage shaking in Donghyuck’s arms and his breath raising goosebumps on his neck. “That beta is staring at us.” 

Donghyuck bristles, he knows Renjun is capable of getting rid of anyone he’s not interested in, but with his pulse fluttering in his veins and Renjun’s scent filling his lungs, Donghyuck can’t stop himself.

Ever so gently, he brushes his scent gland against Renjun’s hair, covering up his movements by dancing a little more vigorously to the high-energy drum and bass music.

The song changes, and Renjun starts singing and dancing along, leaning into Donghyuck’s chest as he scents him, rubbing their cheeks together as subtly as he can. He’s sure Renjun doesn’t notice as he doesn’t say anything, just digs his fingernails into the back of Donghyuck’s neck and tips his head back, exposing the most skin he’s ever let Donghyuck touch. 

* * *

Donghyuck wakes up the next morning with his head under his covers, left to piece together what happened last night. He sits up, immediately feeling nauseous, and chugs a whole water bottle from his bedside table, massaging his temples. 

Everything slowly comes back to him - being pulled away from the dancefloor to get takeaway food with their friends, getting kicked out of the restaurant for starting a food fight, then stumbling home with Renjun, their arms around each other.

He cringes a little at the memory of being so shamelessly alpha, but it’s not like he could help it with all the other alphas in the room, their scents and the alcohol in his bloodstream making his primal needs flare up. He doesn’t regret it exactly, he still had a fun night at his first college party, it was the most he’s laughed in a long time.

Smiling at the memories, he gets back under the covers, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

Of course, it’s short lived. 

“Morning sunshine!” Renjun sing-songs, poking at Donghyuck over his thick comforter. 

“Mmmnnn,” Donghyuck groans as Renjun shakes him awake, and his head pounds. 

“Get up lazybones - I awakened my true omega and made you breakfast.” 

Donghyuck’s ears prick up, he can smell the delicious scent of fried fat drifting in from their box kitchen so he scrambles out of bed, his vision still a little blurry. 

“Here you go,” Renjun giggles, pointing to the bowl of cereal set out for Donghyuck, the scrambled eggs on the stove are for Renjun - he knows Donghyuck always has his eggs sunny side up. 

“Very funny. I’m never eating at this restaurant again,” Donghyuck sulks, shovelling dry cereal into his mouth regardless. 

Renjun scrolls on his phone while he eats his breakfast and Donghyuck glares at the top of his head, cursing him for never getting hungover. It’s a Sunday, so neither of them have classes, and Donghyuck decides he deserves to have a nice long shower with his bluetooth speaker to help him recover. 

“I’m going to study at the library, see you later!” Renjun says as he’s halfway out the door, and Donghyuck waves at him before ducking into the bathroom.

He plays some ballads while his aspirin kicks in, humming to himself as he cleanses his face. Donghyuck can feel the fatigue lifting off him as he breathes in his minty face wash, and he steps into the shower to find it bone dry. He doesn’t think anything of it until he’s halfway through shampooing his hair, when he realises Renjun must have left the house without showering, which is unlike him. 

Shrugging it off, he doesn’t think about it again until he’s back in his bedroom, a towel around his hips and another on top of his head.

Donghyuck is a creature of habit, everyone knows this, and for as long as he’s had a double bed, he always sleeps on the same side. He likes to be up against the wall, maybe it’s his childhood fear of the dark he hasn’t grown out of, so he feels the cogs in his brain grind as he stares at the rumpled pillow on the _wrong_ side of the bed. 

He glares at the pillow as if staring it down will make it explain itself, and in a moment of sheer confusion, he leans down and presses his face into the pillow. Alpha musk is predominant, along with the smell of his sandalwood shampoo, but underneath that is the unmistakable whiff of an omega. 

Donghyuck jumps back like he’s been burnt, and the pieces click together in his head, what he previously thought was a fragment of a dream where he rolled over and spooned Renjun wasn’t a dream at all. 

Shit. 

His head hurts from how fast he processes through different emotions, eventually settling on the conclusion that best friends cuddle all the time and it’s not weird. He and Renjun have cuddled many times before, but sleeping in the same bed for longer than a 30 minute nap - that’s new. 

The more he thinks about it, the more he can recall brief moments of consciousness with a warm body next to him, the smell of Renjun’s pheromones right under his nose, his face pressed into his skin, Renjun’s arm around his waist and their legs tangled together. Donghyuck thought he was just going crazy dreaming about cuddling his best friend, and he pushes down the little gay voice in the back of his head telling him he wishes he had been awake to see Renjun in his arms. 

He sits there for a while, on the edge of his bed, until his hair is dry and he has goosebumps down his spine and he comes to the realisation that maybe he’s a little bit in love with his best friend. Again. 

He still remembers exactly how it felt when Renjun kissed him goodbye, how he sat back on his heels and looked Donghyuck deep in the eyes, and he could only watch as the warmth and fondness drained from Renjun’s face, replaced by sorrow, regret. 

_“I’m sorry,”_ Renjun says in his memories, and Donghyuck feels his throat tighten, _“Can we go back to being best friends?”_

_“Oh… Okay,” Donghyuck had replied, shell shocked._

It hurt to see him every day and not be able to do any of the things they used to. Eventually, he got used to the new normal, and the pain faded, but he never really got over Renjun. He used to say they were made for each other, drawn together from the day they first met by a force that knew they were each other’s better half. 

Donghyuck smiles sadly, it’s still true - he can’t imagine anyone who would be more compatible with him, anyone who he would make more sacrifices for than Renjun. Hell, he flew across the country to be with him, and he would fly to the other side of the world if Renjun wanted him to. Renjun is his family, equipped with enough charm and wit to keep his parents and siblings laughing all day when they spend Chuseok together. In a household of alphas, Renjun fits in like he belongs there, and maybe there’s a reason Donghyuck has never been able to get over him - because he’s meant to fight for him. 

His phone chimes on his bedside table and Donghyuck almost has a heart attack, jumping up so fast his towel falls to the ground, and he yelps as the cool air of his bedroom hits him. 

It’s a text from a friend in his class, and Donghyuck almost screams when he reads the message. 

_Dude I bumped into your omega friend in the library and he stinks of you from across the room omg what’s going on?_

He feels like he’s going insane, first he homoerotically scents his best friend at a party, then they sleep in the same bed, and now Renjun is out in public smelling strongly of alpha - and more specifically, of _Donghyuck._

His panicking is cut short as he hears a key scrape in the lock and he jumps to put some fucking clothes on, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and the best-smelling shirt on his bedroom floor. Renjun calls out to him and Donghyuck replies without thinking, wincing as he realises he forgot to put on boxers, but he meets Renjun in the hall anyway. 

“Hey,” Renjun smiles, an uninterpretable glint in his eye. 

Donghyuck looks him up and down, “That’s mine,” he blurts out, gawping at the cream coloured Supreme t-shirt that is most definitely Donghyuck’s. It’s wrinkled and french tucked into Renjun’s pants, and Donghyuck knows he left that shirt on the floor - worn. 

Even when it’s his own scent, Donghyuck can smell the alpha pheromones _dripping_ off him, and Renjun simply cocks his head to one side and smiles. 

“Is it?” he replies innocently, and Donghyuck is certain he purposefully stole it from his bedroom floor. 

“And you went out like that?” Donghyuck snaps out of his trance, slipping back into that tone of voice he uses when he winds Renjun up. 

“What’s wrong with this? Would you rather I walked around shirtless?” The corners of Renjun’s lips curl up into a grin and he untucks his shirt. 

“At least then you’d actually smell like an omega.” 

Renjun places a finger on his chin, mulling it over, “Oh please, everyone knows what I am, and what you are.” 

Donghyuck doesn’t respond, rolling his eyes. 

“Besides,” he continues, “It was hilarious seeing people whispering about me. Everyone likes a good bit of gossip, don’t they?” 

Fucking hell. 

“Jesus christ, what did you tell people?” 

“I didn’t speak to anyone,” Renjun smirks, and Donghyuck doesn’t know if they’re flirting or not, “But they got the message.” 

“You’re such a shit stirrer,” Donghyuck accuses, and Renjun laughs. 

“You love me for it, it’s not my fault if the whole campus is talking about us.” 

He’s so infuriating, coy and grinning from ear to ear, but something locked away deep inside Donghyuck’s brain likes that everyone thinks they’re together. It sends a little zip up his spine thinking of students gossiping about them, spreading the rumour all around the campus that tiny-but-feisty omega Renjun got himself an alpha. 

“I wish you did walk around shirtless,” Donghyuck sighs, pushing past Renjun into the lounge. His sweatpants are chafing a little so he walks funny, and he’s hyper aware of Renjun watching him go, then hears that patter of his footsteps following him. 

“Yeah you’d love that, stinky.” 

“Fuck off,” Donghyuck laughs, willing his pheromones to stop spilling from his scent glands. 

“You _do_ like the attention, don’t you?” Renjun probes, following Donghyuck over to the couch. 

“I do not,” he insists, throwing his legs up on the couch so he’s taking up all the space. 

Renjun wrestles his legs onto the ground and sits down next to him, “Yes you do Donghyuck, you looooove it.” 

His smirk grows impossibly wider and Donghyuck’s alpha flares up, frustrated. If he held Renjun down on the ground that would shut him up. 

“I don’t,” he grits out, crossing his legs. 

“Aww,” Renjun coos, putting on a baby voice, “are you getting your rut, is that it? Aww poor little alpha you can’t even control yourself.” He pouts and tickles Donghyuck under the chin, and the frustration, both sexual and non, bubbling under his skin comes to the surface. 

“Cut it out,” he snaps, grabbing Renjun’s wrist. His vision is tinted with red and he feels hot all over like he’s going to explode. Renjun tries to twist away but he squeezes harder. 

His eyes are blown wide, cowering away from Donghyuck, submitting, and Donghyuck draws back, relaxing the snarl that subconsciously formed on his face. 

Renjun lets out a shaky breath, shakes his head once and that cocky grin is back on his face like nothing happened. 

“Geez, alright knot-head.” 

With a frustrated growl, Donghyuck pushes himself up and retreats to his room, Renjun’s loud laugh echoing through the apartment behind him. 

* * *

Donghyuck can’t stop thinking about him. 

Renjun is in his head every hour of the day, texting him or talking to him about aliens or playing with the cuff of Donghyuck’s shirt sleeve in their favourite cafe. 

He keeps winding him up, pressing all of Donghyuck’s buttons and not leaving him alone - and he’s kind of in love with him so he doesn’t mind, but he knows what he’s trying to do. 

He’s at an impasse, because it really feels like Renjun is flirting with him, and Donghyuck flirts back because that’s what they do, immersed in their own little world. It feels different from how they normally tease each other, but Donghyuck doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know if Renjun means it this time when he tells him how pretty he is with this fondness in his voice that sounds foreign on him. 

Falling for Renjun a second time feels familiar, but less like being dragged headfirst into unreciprocated feelings, and more like allowing himself to slip back into those fond thoughts and letting himself become more attached. He’s never going to find anyone else like Renjun, and when before that was a bad thing, reminding him that Renjun would never love him back, he now thinks about it with a smile on his face. Renjun is irreplaceable, and his realisation feels like coming home, a soft secure pillow to rest his head on and let all his worries slip away. 

Speaking of pillows - Renjun keeps falling asleep on Donghyuck’s. With both of them becoming more settled in their new routines, there’s more time to chill out, and somehow that has evolved into Renjun slipping under his sheets and the pair of them staying awake talking until they can’t keep their eyes open anymore. 

Every time it happens, Renjun wakes up at some point in the night and moves back to his own room, but one Friday night, exactly three weeks after the house party, Renjun breaks the pattern. 

Donghyuck drifts in and out of consciousness the whole night, hyper aware of the other body inches away from his bare skin, tingles running across his arms whenever Renjun shifts in his sleep. His salt lamp bathes the room in a soft orange glow, and when he rolls away from the wall Donghyuck takes in how peaceful Renjun looks in his sleep, his lips slightly parted and his ash brown hair flopping to one side onto the pillow. He’s so pretty, and if Donghyuck squints he can see his bedside clock reading the hours ticking past, and every time he wakes up Renjun is still there, his breathing slow and even. 

As he watches, his eyes barely staying open, Renjun’s lips begin to move, shaping themselves around silent words. 

“Hyuck,” he eventually grunts, and Donghyuck’s eyes snap open. Although he’s still definitely asleep, his words are clear as day. “Don’t leave me, Donghyuck.” 

Renjun’s body stiffens up and his legs struggle under the comforter, and Donghyuck’s heart clenches, so he reaches out without even thinking and places a hand on Renjun’s shoulder, his sleep shirt slipping off it as Donghyuck rubs his skin with the pad of his thumb. He still twitches a little, so Donghyuck’s hand trails upwards and finds a home in his hair, brushing the locks off his forehead with the gentlest touch he can muster. 

The omega makes a happy little hum, and Donghyuck smiles softly at him, breathing in deeply when a burst of citrus-scented pheromones fills the bed, the scent settling deep in his lungs and clearing his head of congestion. If Renjun were to wake up in that moment he would probably kill Donghyuck, so he basks in the moment while he can, and he holds his breath when Renjun reaches out in his sleep and shuffles closer, grabbing at Donghyuck’s waist. 

He’s not quite sure how he falls asleep after that, but the next thing he knows he feels like he has multiple weighted blankets on top of him, and as he stirs further, he realises it’s Renjun, his head pillowed on Donghyuck’s chest and his arms around his torso. Renjun is almost completely on top of him, his hair tickling Donghyuck’s chin and a patch of drool drying on his chest, but he still gazes fondly at the head of messy brown hair. His fingers tighten and loosen around the fabric of Donghyuck’s shirt, and while still half asleep he lifts his arm and plays with Renjun’s hair, twirling a lock around his finger. 

Groaning, Renjun stirs, and Donghyuck rips his hand away. 

“What’re you doin’?” he grumbles, his voice rough with sleep. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realise you were awake.” 

Renjun lifts his head to rub his eyes, then lets it drop back down again, and Donghyuck still hasn’t seen his face in all of the five minutes he’s been awake, which is far too long for his liking. 

“‘S okay,” he replies sleepily, “it helps me fall asleep when you do that, your fingers feel so nice.” 

Donghyuck kicks himself, he’s helpless as blood rushes south from Renjun saying that particular phrase in such a raw, gravelly voice, and oh god, Renjun’s elbow is so close to his dick. 

Head spinning, Donghyuck can only watch and feel his heart flutter as Renjun props himself up on his elbows, rolling fully on top of Donghyuck now. 

His gaze flickers up and suddenly he’s staring right into the omega’s eyes, his pupils visibly dilating, and Renjun’s whole body is pressed flush against him and he’s so pretty when he’s just woken up and _fuck_ Donghyuck wants to wake up next to him every day of his life. 

“Hyuck?” Renjun starts, hesitating as if he’s swirling the word around every corner of his mouth like a fine wine. 

“Hmm?” he hums, his arms resting awkwardly against the bed, and it feels like his hands are on upside down. 

“Are you in love with me?” 

Donghyuck splutters, he wants to admit it so badly but there’s no way in hell he can do that, and Renjun is probably only doing this to mess with him and there are so many feelings inside him that he can’t do this and he just wants to go back to before they were flirting and-- 

“Donghyuck.” Renjun deadpans - and the game is up. 

“I-” he starts, giving up on every sentence fragment that enters his mind. Renjun is so close to him, caging him in, and it’s too much. 

He closes his eyes to take a deep breath, and before he can open them again there’s a puff of air against his lips and a hand snaking around the back of his neck and Renjun is _kissing him._

Donghyuck missed those lips so much and his heart swells, their lips locking once, twice, before Renjun’s face cracks into a smile that’s too big to kiss. 

“I knew it - you are,” Renjun breathes, and it’s true, and Donghyuck doesn’t care anymore that he knows. 

“I have been,” Donghyuck cradles his cheek in the palm of his hand, “for a long time.” 

He breathes Renjun in, not just his scent, but every part of him, he lets the feelings that buckle the walls of his heart push through, knocking down every barrier until it’s just him gazing at the boy he’s been in love with all his life, and him gazing back. 

“Say it,” he whispers, afraid to shatter the quivering pane of glass that encloses them, trapping them here, in Donghyuck’s bed, their hearts bare and the sun cracking through the curtains. 

Renjun’s brow furrows for a moment, and then he realises. 

“I love you too.” 

Donghyuck surges forward, knocking a breathless laugh out of Renjun as they kiss, pulling him closer like he’s never held him before. Their teeth knock together as they laugh into the space between them, Renjun’s fingers twisting in the sheets and in Donghyuck’s hair as they manage to calm their grins enough to kiss. 

Renjun kisses like no one else, he pushes and pulls with grace, parting his lips for a fleeting moment and then breaking the kiss, keeping Donghyuck chasing his mouth. As he takes Renjun’s bottom lip gently between his teeth, Donghyuck sits up, kissing him deeper and deeper until Renjun is bent backwards in a beautiful curve, held up by Donghyuck’s arms around his waist, and he loops his arms around his neck. 

“I love you,” Donghyuck whispers against his lips, not able to keep it in any longer. 

Something in the room changes, and as Renjun dangles in the air, holding himself effortlessly in a backbend, Donghyuck feels the shift. 

He feels it when he pulls him back upright and they topple the other way, Renjun planting his hands on the bed as he kneels between Donghyuck’s legs, his face inching closer until he’s tilting his head and kissing him. 

He feels it when he runs his tongue over the seam of Renjun’s lips, who opens his mouth eagerly to glide their tongues together, spit pooling behind Donghyuck’s teeth. 

They work in harmony as Donghyuck plucks little noises from his mouth, a shaky exhale here, a squeeze of his hip there, and finally Renjun is climbing into his lap, straddling his hips carefully. His fingers find their way under the hem of his shirt, and he traces patterns down Renjun’s spine as he kisses along the column on Donghyuck’s neck, sucking on his pressure point. A throaty groan is pulled out of him, Renjun’s expert mouth sucking a bruise into his skin right at the base of his neck, and Donghyuck squeezes his bare waist, marvelling at the tiny circumference in his hands. 

The omega grinds down in his lap, ever so gently, but it’s enough to rip a low growl from his throat - a warning. Renjun simply giggles and guides Donghyuck’s hands higher, until they brush gently over his nipples, and Renjun sighs happily, the skin of Donghyuck’s neck caught between his teeth. 

It’s so strange, he’s known Renjun almost his whole life, but never once touched him like this; testing the waters, seeing how far he can go, all while Renjun is shifting in his lap, his chest slumped against Donghyuck’s. 

“Look at me,” Donghyuck says, more out of instinct than conscious thought, and he can feel himself starting to slip. 

A little dazed, Renjun sits up so he has to crane his neck to see his face, and he watches his expression change as he circles his thumbs over both nubs, breaching the gap between oversensitivity and pleasure. 

“Is this okay?” he asks breathlessly, blown away by the pretty face before him. 

“Yeah,” Renjun gasps, “It’s more than okay.” 

He opens his eyes and they’re glazed over, his expression one of bliss as he gazes fondly down at Donghyuck, holding his forearms gently for support. His eyes are barely open, sultry and lustful, and Donghyuck has never seen him like this before, but he’s hypnotised. 

His toes hang over the edge of oblivion, moving without thinking as he guides them to lie down, missionary, because he knows Renjun likes that shit. The layers of clothes are stripped away and with them goes any shred of uncertainty, and this feels so right, tangled in the sheets with his better half, giggly pre-teen kisses on a soft pucker of lips. 

He’s still blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he rakes his gaze across Renjun’s naked body, his arm bent at the knobbly elbow and pillowed behind his head. 

“Do me,” he breathes into the morning air, and Donghyuck is a little knocked off his feet by his bossiness, but he scrambles to hold him closer. 

Flying across the country feels like a lifetime ago as Renjun arches off the bed, his middle and ring finger buried as deep inside him as the angle will allow. His head feels about as high up as it did back then, his nerves soothed by his omega - _his_ \- all sprawled out beneath him, cheeks letterbox red and chest heaving. 

Donghyuck is sure his morning breath stinks, but Renjun doesn’t seem to care as he loops his arms around his neck and kisses him, his knees drawn up to his chest and Donghyuck’s hand working between his thighs. His thumb comes to rest on Renjun’s perineum, and if it weren’t for the tangled stream of _‘uh, uh, uh’_ s falling from his mouth, Donghyuck is sure he would make some huffed comment about _I don’t have a clit, so stop searching for it._

“That’s enough,” Renjun pants, weakly attempting to bat Donghyuck’s hand away, but Donghyuck knows it isn’t. 

“Just a little more,” he coaxes, wriggling a third finger inside, and it’s hilarious in their own stupid way, fingering Renjun with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. His legs and his cock bounce cutely with every thrust but he only rolls his eyes, biting back his noises as he mimes looking at his watch. 

“Stop sulking,” Donghyuck smiles, “I’m prepping you for your own good.” 

“Well could you hurry up about it?” Renjun huffs, and Donghyuck laughs, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. 

They just _work,_ the two of them together, always have and always will, their hearts in harmony and minds in sync. Donghyuck has been underwater ever since their flight, but now his ears finally pop and relief floods into his body, he can see clearly again and this is how they’re meant to be. 

“Come on, big boy,” Renjun purrs, tugging Donghyuck down by his shoulder to nip at the shell of his ear, “you’re an alpha, aren’t you meant to be all over me?” 

Donghyuck smirks, “You think I’m not holding myself back? I thought you liked romance?” 

Renjun rolls his eyes again and Donghyuck stills his hand, “Pfft, romance, shmo-mance, what do I have to do to get knotted around here?” 

Donghyuck gulps and his dick twitches in sync, the sensitive skin rubbing up against the soaked fabric of his boxers. Renjun is fucking ridiculous - but that’s why he loves him so much. Other people would hate that he can never take anything seriously, but Donghyuck can’t get enough of it, he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

“Easy tiger, I’m working on it.” He latches onto the column of Renjun’s neck, pulling a shaky gasp out of him and fingering him faster. The omega clutches onto Donghyuck’s arm, his sharp little fingernails leaving crescent marks in his skin, and he hiccups on a gasp. 

Renjun teases and teases, groaning the neediest shit into Donghyuck’s ear and clenching down around his fingers, until he finally pulls back and sees the self-satisfied smirk on his face that greets Donghyuck as he scrambles out of his underwear. 

“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?” 

Renjun scoffs, “You talk too much,” he grumbles as he scrapes his nails against Donghyuck’s scalp, comfort edging on pain. 

“What do you want me to do, gag myself?” Donghyuck laughs, hooking Renjun’s legs over his shoulders. 

“Actually, I’d love that,” he replies, settling back against the pillows and raking his eyes up Donghyuck’s body. 

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck reaches over to his bedside drawer, searching blindly for a condom, but he’s stopped in his tracks by a gentle hand on his cheek. 

“Hyuck,” Renjun says, his voice suddenly very small and fond, “I want it bare?” 

He says it like a question, and Donghyuck blinks down at him, naked in his bed and propped up on one elbow, his other hand gently stroking his cheek. 

“Are you sure?” 

Renjun sighs and shakes his head with a smile, like Donghyuck is a little boy and doesn’t understand the simplest of things. 

“How else are you going to knock me up?” 

“Fucking hell,” Donghyuck breathes, and his world comes screeching to a halt, as if the entire universe stops and holds its breath as he presses their foreheads together, hikes Renjun’s leg up higher, and pushes the head of his cock inside. 

It’s like nothing he ever could’ve dreamt up, Renjun whines and yelps and curses, holding on for dear life as Donghyuck rolls his hips over and over. It’s sloppy and uncoordinated, but their hearts seem to melt in the sun until they’re one homogenous mess, tears in Renjun’s eyes as he hangs off Donghyuck’s cock. 

It’s the filitiest, most rotten sex he’s ever had, and Donghyuck is sick for it, licking desperately into Renjun’s mouth as his cock slides through that wet heat over and over. There’s _so_ much lube, and the squelch of their bodies meeting makes them both wince, but then Renjun does something to his cock that makes him growl against his lips, and the omega growls back. 

“‘S it good?” He pants, sweat dripping off his nose, and it’s too hot to be having sex but he doesn’t fucking care. 

Renjun only moans brokenly in response, his head thrown back and his thighs clenching and unclenching where they’ve slipped down to loop around his waist. 

“Aww, my cock feels that good?” Donghyuck coos, and Renjun whines, chest heaving. 

“Uh huh!” He moans - not even fighting back, and Donghyuck fucks into him harder, taking Renjun’s hands in his, lacing their fingers together and pinning his hands above his head. 

The slide is delicious, and he noses along Renjun’s neck, nipping and licking as he goes, feeling the vibrations of his moans against his tongue. He presses his tongue to his scent gland and the pheromones pour out at a suffocating rate, hanging over their bodies until the whole room stinks of sex. 

For a second he worries they’re going to break his bed, the wood creaking dangerously, but then Donghyuck sits up slightly, and the change in angle makes Renjun _scream._

“Right there?” he teases, letting go of one of his hands to tug at his leaking cock, spreading his wetness everywhere and using that to pump Renjun’s length in time with his thrusts. 

Renjun is beyond words, but Donghyuck only grins to himself and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth, before sitting up again and aiming straight for his prostate. 

The omega shakes apart in his hands, his fists clutching at anything he can reach, his legs spasming as Donghyuck fucks him like he deserves, fast and hard and bed-shakingly rough. Renjun’s eyes fly open and he feels the tenderness deep within his soul, his face a beautiful picture of pleasure, sweet pink lips pulled into a little ‘O’, his whole face flushed and glistening with sweat. 

“Alpha!” he cries, and Donghyuck moans back to him, his cock already swelling at the base, and he’s given a front row seat as Renjun cums on his knot, his hands scrabbling for purchase and his body pulled taught as he whimpers and shakes apart. 

The sheer tightness around him is dizzying, and blood rushes into Donghyuck’s knot so fast it makes his head spin. Renjun is a catherine wheel firework, mesmerising but deadly, twirling faster and faster until Donghyuck is burning up with him, plummeting through his atmosphere until their lips meet and he crashes down to earth. A whimper against his lips and a final squeeze of his knot has him tumbling again, locked firmly inside Renjun as he breeds him full. 

Renjun pets his hair through it, holding him close as he fills him to the brim, mumbling something about what a good dog he is. 

Shuddering in sensitivity, he gently rolls them onto one side, Renjun’s leg thrown over his hip as his cock stays firmly nestled inside him, and they pant into each other’s mouths, brain dead. 

All Donghyuck feels is inner peace. 

He strokes the pad of his thumb over Renjun’s cheekbone, their silence marking the shift in the room, and he’s never felt so in love. 

Love. 

It makes so much sense, of course he’s always loved Renjun. He can’t quite remember when it happened, when his feelings of admiration and friendship twisted and shaped into pure, heart-wrenching love, but it happened. And Renjun loves him back. 

Of course he does, they’re meant to be, and when Renjun opens his eyes and blinks slowly at him, he knows he can never let him go. He’s a picture of beauty in its rawest form, lounging nude like a figure in a renaissance painting, skin bared for Donghyuck to gaze upon him. 

“Happy?” Renjun says, half in triumph, half in awe, and half in mock-annoyance. Donghyuck then realises the math is wrong and that makes a hundred and fifty percent, but everything else is _so_ right that he doesn’t care. 

“I am,” he breathes, nosing across Renjun’s scent gland once again. 

He’s fucked up a lot in life; made some mistakes and taken some dumb chances - namely flying across the country for a manufactured dream - but he’s made it, he’s happy, and that’s all that matters. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/JENOXCX)


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